Introducing WP Recycle: A Recycling Program for Abandoned WordPress Plugins

The Velveteen Rabbit once had a shiny coat, bright button eyes, and a boy that loved it very, very much. But after years of wear and tear, it grew shabby and didn’t look so good anymore. It wished that someday it would be a real live rabbit, bright and shiny once again.

Maybe you once had a “Velveteen Rabbit” WordPress plugin: a plugin that filled a purpose that nothing else could, a bright and shiny plugin that you loved intensely for a while, only to watch it fall into disrepair and grow shabby and un-maintained.

Perhaps you want to see this plugin get a new start and become a “real live plugin,” one that is regularly maintained and updated. Now you have the chance.

I’d like to introduce you to WP Recycle, a new program from PluginChief that lets you submit broken and abandoned plugins that have been left to languish in the repository. This is a chance to recommend WordPress plugins for renewal from yesterday’s junkyard scraps into tomorrow’s treasures.

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good Plugins?

It’s not that plugin authors don’t still love their old plugins. It might be that they have shiny new plugins that they are busy working on, new clients demanding their time, or no donations to provide the necessary support and upgrades. However, all the old clunker plugins in the repository depreciate the WordPress community and make it less enticing to users. PluginChief decided to combat this problem and help make WordPress a better CMS by inviting recommendations of plugins to rejuvenate, revitalize, and either re-release into the repository or re-brand at PluginChief.

They’re Going To Fix EVERY Abandoned Plugin??

No, PluginChief is not promising that every submitted plugin will be revitalized. After all, some plugins don’t have very high demand. Others feature functionality that is covered by a more recent and modern plugin. Still others have messy code or organization that only the developer could understand.

BUT – If you submit a plugin that demonstrates good demand, a lack of overlap from other plugins and code worth saving, PluginChief just might take it under wing, stitch it back up and release it into the wild, just like the fairy did for the velveteen rabbit. WP Recycle is going to take it one step further than the good fairy, however; the plugins they select, they will not only update but also support.

How long will this plugin redemption program last? The folks at PluginChief say they will continue as long as it takes to clean up ALL abandoned plugins. So submit your favorite neglected plugin and see where it goes.